I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this story. As I started the first chapter, I REALLY wasn’t sure if I wanted to read this story. The book opens with Jacqueline suffering a sexual assault–a friend of her ex-boyfriend attempts to rape her.

That’s a pretty heavy start to a story.

But she’s rescued, and eventually starts a friendship or sorts with the young man who rescued her.

I devoured this book in a single sitting–I planted myself and read until I was finished.

Lucas and Jacqueline are both complex characters who have to learn to trust each other. I suppose that goes for any romance, but both have had hard things happen to them, they have to deal with.

Most importantly, I think the author did a fabulous job with the sexual assault portions of the story. The happenings and reactions were real–after all, many young women will be sexual assaulted before the graduate college–and Jacqueline dealt with the assault in a way that was both real and realistic. She blamed herself. She was afraid to tell anyone–even her friends. But eventually she did share what happened, and the reactions of those around her were wonderful.

And then there was Lucas. I may actually have liked Lucas more than Jacqueline–I really wanted things to work out for them, and to learn why Lucas was the way he was.